Combined surgical table and body member support



Jan. 27, 1959 2,871,074

COMBINED SURGICAL TABLE AND BODY MEMBER SUPPORT J A. MALERICH, JR

Filed Aug. 8, 1956 IN VENTOR- Anf/mny Ma/(rk/Mx My n n g ATTORNEYCOMBINED SURGICAL TABLE AND BODY MEMBER SUPPORT J Anthony Malerich,.l'r., St. Paul, Minn.

Application August 8, 1956, Serial No. 602,872

8 Claims. (Cl. 311-11) This invention relates to an improvement insurgical table and deals particularly with a table useful in thetreatment of bruises, lacerations and the like.

Considerable difficulty is experienced in the treatment of bruises,lacerations and the like due to the fact that there is no adequatefacilities usually available in the washing and treating of the injury.The patient is often placed upon a surgical table and the injured memberis often suspended over a receptacle during the washing and treatment ofthe wound. It is often diflicult to maintain the injured member in suchan awkward position and as a result it is often necessary to clean theentire operating room after the treatment of such an injury particularlywhere the patient is bleeding profusely. It is an object of the presentinvention to avoid this previous difliculty.

A feature of the present invention resides in the provision of asurgical table which is portable in form and may be quickly and easilymoved alongside of a surgical operating table or the like so that theinjured member may be suspended over the portable surgical table duringthe treatment of the injured member. For example, if the injured memberis an arm or a leg, the portable surgical table may be wheeled alongsideof the operating table and the injured member may be positioned tooverlie the portable table. This portable table is equipped with a basininto which blood and the water or other liquid used in cleaning thewound may drain. If the injury is to the hand or foot, only the injuredportion is suspended over the basin. However, if the injury. is to theleg itself or to the body of the arm, the leg or arm may straddle thebasin so that the blood and cleaning liquid may drain into the basin.

A feature of the present invention resides in the provision of a tablewhich is generally rectangular in form and which is greater in onedimension than in the other. Brackets are provided on all four sides ofthe table, .these brackets being designed to removably support a roundedor trough-shaped member. These troughshaped supporting members may bealigned on opposite sides of the table to support an arm or legstraddling the table. Alternatively, only one such support may be usedin the event the injured member comprises a hand or foot.

A further feature of the present invention resides in thefact that thetrough-shapedsupports which are used may be of ;various curvatures tofit the members being treated. For example, a relatively shallow supportmay be used to support the head or neck of the patient. Thus in theevent the injury is to the head of the patient, the patient may lie withthe head projecting over the basin, the table forming in effect acontinuation of the operating table.

A feature of the present invention resides in the provision of aportable surgical table equipped with a shallow basin which may beremoved and emptied or partially filled with water or other treatingsolution. As a result, the cleaning liquid may be conveniently locatedice for at least a preliminary cleansing of the injured member.

A further feature of the present invention lies in the provision of asurgical table provided with a table extension which may be pulledoutwardly to support instruments or the like. As a result, theinstruments may be supported in close relation to the patient beingtreated.

These and other objects and novel features of the present invention willbe more clearly and fully set forth in the following specification andclaims.

In the drawings forming a part of the specification:

Figure 1 is a front view of the portable surgical table showing theconstruction thereof.

Figure 2 is a. side elevational view of the table shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the surgical table.

Figure 4 is asectional view through a portion of the apparatus, theposition of the section being indicated by the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of one of the supports used inconjunction with the surgical table.

and includes a table top portion which is, indicated in general by thenumeral 10 and a base portion which is indicated in general by thenumeral 11. The base portion supports the table top portion at anadjusted elevation as will be later described in detail.

The base portion includes a vertical standard 12 which extendsvertically from a cross member 13 and which is anchored at its lower endto the cross member 13. A pair of laterally spaced casters 14 extendbeneath opposite ends of the cross member 13 and act to support thiscross member in spaced relation to the floor. A pair of supporting legs15 and 16 include downwardly inclined leg portions 17 connected toopposite ends of the cross member 13, the portions 17 extending inhorizontally extending bearing portions 19. The bearing portions 19support the standard 12 in vertical relation when both the casters 14and the bearing portions 19 of the legs 15 and 16 are resting upon afiat surface.

The standard 12 is preferably square in cross section and is tubular inform as is illustrated in Figure 6 of the drawings. As is also indicatedin this figure, a second rectangular tubular member 20 telescopes intothe standard 12 and is slidably supported therein. A reinforcing band 21encircles the upper end of the standard 12 and is welded or otherwisesecured thereto. A set screw 22 extends through the band 21 and standardportion 12 and engages against the inner tubular member 20 to hold thetwo members in adjusted relation. A hand wheel 23 on the set screw 22simplifies the clamping of th two parts of the apparatus in adjustedrelation.

The table top portion 10 of the apparatus includes a hollow open topenclosure 24 which is secured to the upper extremity of the standardportion 12. The hollow enclosure 24 includes a front wall 25, a rearwall 26, parallel end walls such as 27, and a bottom wall 29 which issecured to the lower extremity of the various side walls. As isindicated in Figure 4 of the drawings, the various walls such as thefront wall 25 is provided at its upper extremity with an inturned flange30 which is provided at its extremity with a downturned flange 31 whichterminates in an outturned edge 32. These flanges extending around theupper extremity of the side wall structure provide a flat borderencircling the opening in the top of the enclosure. The opening isformed between the various downturned flanges 31 on the side and endwalls.

An elongated slot 33 extends transversely across the front wall 25slightly above the bottom wall 29. A combination tray and shelf 34extends through the slot 33 and is supported by suitable slides such as34 extending between the front and rear walls 25 and 26. The tray andshelf 34 includes a flat panel 36 with right angularly extendingmarginal flanges 37 extending about its periphery. When the tray 34 isin the position illustrated in the drawings, it forms a shelf having afiat upper surface. If removed and inverted, the structure forms ashallow tray which may be used to support instruments or for any othersuitable purpose. A handle 39 projects forwardly from the flange 37 bymeans of which the shelf may be removed and inverted.

A shallow rectangular tray or basin 40 is supported within the hollowenclosure 24 to extend downwardly from the pp edge thereof. The tray 4inc ude a bottom panel 41 which is generally horizontal when in placeand includes upwardly inclined side and end Walls indicated at 42 and4-3, respectively. As is indicated in Figure 4 of the drawings, theupper edge of the tray 40 is rounded to terminate in a downturned rim44. This rim 44- is designed to rest upon the horizontal flange 30 atthe upper extremity of the hollow enclosure 24.

Brackets 45 are centrally located on the front and rear walls 25 and 26of the hollow enclosure 24, and similar brackets 46 are provided on theend walls thereof. Each of these brackets are similar in form andincludes a pair of anchoring ends 47 which are secured in surfacecontact with the wall to which it is secured and an off set centerportion 49 which extends parallel to and slightly spaced from the wall.The purpose .of these brackets will be later described in detail.

Supports of the type which may be used to support a limb or .the head ofa patient are constructed as best illustrated in Figure 5 of thedrawings. These supports comprise merely a trough-shaped member 50having a flat supporting arm 51 extending .downwardly therefrom,

the plane of the plate or arm 51 being normal to the axis of thetrough-shaped top portion 50. These plates 51 are of proper dimensionsto fit between the off set center portions 49 of the various bracketsand the body of the hollow enclosure 24 so as to support thetroughshaped member 50 in a horizontal position. As will be noted inFigure 5 of the drawings, the plate 51 is nearer to one end of thetrough-shaped member 50 than to the other. This arrangement is providedso that the portion of the body to be treated may be suspended over thetray 46. In some instances, it is desirable to have the longer end ofthe trough-shaped member projecting over the removable t ay so thatliquid placed thereon or therein will drain into the :tray. However,where more room is needed between the supports, they may be turned intothe position shown to the left of Figure 3 so as to project with themain portion of the body outwardly of the tray.

It will be seen that the surgical table provided may be adjusted forvarious services. tion of a leg orarm is to be treated, two of thesupports of the type indicated in Figure 5 of the drawings are mountedon opposite sides of the tray or on opposite ends thereof depending uponthe necessary spacing and to permit the limb to straddle the tray 40 sothat the wounded portion thereof is entirely over the tray. In otherinstances, only one support is employed and the injured portion may beplaced to overlie the tray such as would be the case if the hand, wristor foot and ankle If the intermediate porwere injured. The same is alsotrue of lacerations to the head in which case the tray may be placed sothat the head of the patient will overlie the tray and the back of thehead or neck will be supported in one of the supports. In such a case,the supports are ordinarily made of greater radius than those employedto support a leg or arm.

In accordance with the patent statutes, I have described the principlesof operation and construction of my surgical table, and while I haveendeavored to set forth the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have itunderstood that obvious changes may be made within the scope of thefollowing claims without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. A surgical table including a base, an open topped table membermounted on said base, a removable basin supported in said open toppedtable member, and detachable limb supports mounted .on opposite sides ofsaid table member to project above said basin.

2. The structure of claim 1 and in which said table member has anopening in a side thereof, and including a shallow tray slidablysupported beneath said basin through said opening, said tray beinginvertable to provide a shelf.

3. A surgical table including a base, an open topped table membermounted on said base, a removable basin supported in said open toppedtable member, and detachable limb supports mounted on opposite sides ofsaid table member to project above said basin, said limb supports havinga trough-shaped upper extremity thereon with the axis thereon in rightangular relation to the table side to which it is attached.

v4. The structure of claim 3 and in which said table member is generallyrectangular, and including limb supports detachably connected to allfour sides thereof.

5. The structure of claim 3 and including a shelf slidably supported insaid table member beneath said basin.

6. The structure of claim 3 and in which said trough-- shaped upperextremity projects a greater length in one side of the lower portion ofsaid limb supports than to the other side thereof.

7. A surgical table including a base, an open topped table membermounted on said base, a removable basin supported in said open toppedtable member, and detachable limb supports mounted on opposite sides ofsaid table member to project above said basin, said limb supports eachincluding a flat plate, and a trough-shaped member mounted on the upperend of said plate with the axis of the trough-shaped member normal tothe plane of said flat plate, the sides of said table member havingbracket means detachably supporting said flat plate parallel to the sideto which it is secured.

8. The structure of claim 7 and in which said troughshaped memberprojects farther to one side of said fiat plate than to the other sidethereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS542,390 Linn July 9, 1895 2,459,033 Kraus Jan. 11, 1949 2,690,366 KimmelSept. 28, 1954 2,732,269 Astrofl Jan. 24, 1956

